by Dylan Tucker
It has been a few days since the Kansas Jayhawks were downed by the Northern Iowa Panthers, and I think I’ve cooled down enough to reasonably reflect on the game and the season.
The Jayhawks were flat out beat on Saturday evening. Northern Iowa played harder, and better, than Kansas for almost the entire 40 minutes. Personally, I wasn’t ever particularly worried about the outcome until there were about eight minutes left in the game. We had seen this story before, as the Jayhawks have started slow in many games this year. But the big shots fell for the wrong team on Saturday, and a Jayhawks team that had flirted with disaster for much of the season finally met their demise. Tears were shed, frustration boiled and bubbled, and a Kansas team with as much hype as any in the school’s history will always be remembered as a colossal disappointment. Now what?
Sherron Collins was a part of some great teams, but when he was the go to guy he faltered in the two games that counted most. Collins struggled last year against Michigan State in a game that the Jayhawks easily could have won, and was miserable against Northern Iowa. Now, the Collins era is over, and his legacy is tainted. Cole Aldrich, though disappointing offensively all season, was a defensive presence that simply can’t be replaced. Xavier Henry had times where he looked like a future NBA star, but had many more where he looked like a college freshman. Losing these three will be tough, but the rebuild/reload scenario is nothing like it was following the 2008 National Championship.
Kansas will return two starters, and all of their bench players next fall. Morris, Morris, Withey, and Robinson will be one of the best front courts in the Big XII and have the potential to be a special unit. If KU can add super freak point guard prospect Josh Selby, their guard play won’t be too shabby either. We also can’t forget about redshirt players Travis Releford and Mario Little, who have been rumored to be quite impressive in practice this year, and will make a big impact on next year’s team.
This is the great part of being a Kansas fan. A truly disappointing finish to what was once a great season will likely be completely forgotten in just a few years. I can’t see KU having a season like North Carolina did this year, and the Jayhawks will be ready for another Final Four push before we know it.
